I'm James: I'm a Tube-a-holic.... recently, i've been heavily considering going digital. thoughts?
Bash_Man
Well-known member
I went thought a whole divorce/separation process 11 years ago. It f-ing sucked, but as everyone else said, it gets better Overtime.
What I ended up is locking up my music gear in a storage unit, which prevented me from selling it. Got a Johnson J-Station at the time and it worked like a charm. Then switched to an amp simulator on my laptop and been using that since at home for jamming and practicing.
Tube amp and main gear stay at the band studio now.
Good luck and Keep your chin up my friend.
What I ended up is locking up my music gear in a storage unit, which prevented me from selling it. Got a Johnson J-Station at the time and it worked like a charm. Then switched to an amp simulator on my laptop and been using that since at home for jamming and practicing.
Tube amp and main gear stay at the band studio now.
Good luck and Keep your chin up my friend.
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Racerxrated
Well-known member
Just for you.
I don't think anyone here will ever say they don't RECORD well...that's the whole point to getting one, from my point of view. Get one, go direct and save a shit ton of money vs trying to record your fav tube amps. Done.
Live, in the room or with a band is where they fall short IMO. Through a PA FOH they are great. But most here need some tone in front of us, in the room, with a drummer etc. Tube amps still feel better too.
I'd get one in the future but I wouldn't sell any tube amp to get it. Add one to my collection, sure.
V
VESmedic
Well-known member
Just for you.
I don't think anyone here will ever say they don't RECORD well...that's the whole point to getting one, from my point of view. Get one, go direct and save a shit ton of money vs trying to record your fav tube amps. Done.
Live, in the room or with a band is where they fall short IMO. Through a PA FOH they are great. But most here need some tone in front of us, in the room, with a drummer etc. Tube amps still feel better too.
I'd get one in the future but I wouldn't sell any tube amp to get it. Add one to my collection, sure.
I think I agree with you. I agree if you don’t have a decent FOH, or fantastic monitoring and a great PA system etc, all modelers, regardless of the model, can definitely fall short for sure. In all fairness I have always felt this way too, but back when I bought my kemper (2012), it was so new, chasing down the issue and figuring out why it wasn’t as awesome live took some time to figure out. And then I realized real quick, if you are playing venues where the crowd is right in front of you, you need real amps on stage, there is no doubt about it.
Corey James
Well-known member
My opinion doesn’t count because:
- I have an awesome wife
- I used to have a Mesa and I will never own a Mesa again for as long as I live
That said, sell the Mesa, buy a fractal (who cares what it is). Fractals petrucci presets will help you never miss your mesa. Purchase a Soldano or any other Marshall flavor tube amp when you are over the D and never miss the Mesa (or the ex) again!
- I have an awesome wife
- I used to have a Mesa and I will never own a Mesa again for as long as I live
That said, sell the Mesa, buy a fractal (who cares what it is). Fractals petrucci presets will help you never miss your mesa. Purchase a Soldano or any other Marshall flavor tube amp when you are over the D and never miss the Mesa (or the ex) again!
alund
Well-known member
Mmmm. This brings back bad memories.. odd thing when I was divorcing, I realized I owned nothing but living room trinkets and other stupid girly things. Oh yeah. A fuck ton of debt.
Keep the amp. When the kids are out of the house in a few years you will wish you had it back. At least you know where this amp has been.
Keep the amp. When the kids are out of the house in a few years you will wish you had it back. At least you know where this amp has been.
Eazy-ESP
Well-known member
Not because of divorce, but yes because “I had to” when kids were born and I have a very small house.
Bought a Kemper. It’s amazing. I don’t use it in any band situation and I wouldn’t. Nothing can compare to a tube amp there. But for the 99% of the time I am at home in front of a pair of studio monitors. It rules. (Much more than when kids were actually first born and I was using headphones. “Graduating” to studio monitors has been the best thing.)
Bought a Kemper. It’s amazing. I don’t use it in any band situation and I wouldn’t. Nothing can compare to a tube amp there. But for the 99% of the time I am at home in front of a pair of studio monitors. It rules. (Much more than when kids were actually first born and I was using headphones. “Graduating” to studio monitors has been the best thing.)
J
JimAnsell
Well-known member
thanks for the support on the divorce part, everyone.
i assure you, that its all for the better. i'm long over the emotional part. It did get a bit ugly between us and the lawyers with the custody part. i spare you all the details, but that part is over and i got the 50/50 i was after. We're waiting on the court ordered mediator to help us split the dollars and cents, in mid october, then another few months and it should be wrapped up. divorce takes fucking forever! She is buying me out of my mortgage, and our house is worth double what we paid, so i'll be getting a nice chunk of money for a down payment on something new.
Really i just need to ride out 3 or 4 more months of this, then i'll be able to afford keeping the boogie and buying a kemper hopefully. I'm just not sure if i'm gunna end up in a house or an apt / condo where it'll be pointless to have a tube amp. by the way, to the member who dm'ed and offered to loan me their kemper...that is amazing of you. this forum rules!
i assure you, that its all for the better. i'm long over the emotional part. It did get a bit ugly between us and the lawyers with the custody part. i spare you all the details, but that part is over and i got the 50/50 i was after. We're waiting on the court ordered mediator to help us split the dollars and cents, in mid october, then another few months and it should be wrapped up. divorce takes fucking forever! She is buying me out of my mortgage, and our house is worth double what we paid, so i'll be getting a nice chunk of money for a down payment on something new.
Really i just need to ride out 3 or 4 more months of this, then i'll be able to afford keeping the boogie and buying a kemper hopefully. I'm just not sure if i'm gunna end up in a house or an apt / condo where it'll be pointless to have a tube amp. by the way, to the member who dm'ed and offered to loan me their kemper...that is amazing of you. this forum rules!
cobrahead1030
Well-known member
I'd keep the mark IV, look into a cheaper digital setup for at home use. They're so much better than they used to be.
If you have a decent laptop, you can do a lot with one or two neural DSP plugins. Jump on one of their sales if you can. I use the JP one all the time, for things that sound absolutely nothing like Dream Theater.
If you have a decent laptop, you can do a lot with one or two neural DSP plugins. Jump on one of their sales if you can. I use the JP one all the time, for things that sound absolutely nothing like Dream Theater.
mystixboi
Well-known member
I have my Marshall at home and I gig exclusively with like 6 Hx. I would have no problem going all digital if I had to for some reason. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do. Is the feel 100% there? Nope but can you play at any time with any tone you want? Absolutely.
I love my HX tones. It’s all about how you dial them in
I love my HX tones. It’s all about how you dial them in
P
Panhead5
Well-known member
I agree with you especially in the live situations. I see a lot of bands using modelers and profilers at one venue I frequent and they do sound great but they have strong PA support or are running them FOH . Make me want one but when I would play my Helix at my house I couldn't get rid of it fast enough.
Just for you.
I don't think anyone here will ever say they don't RECORD well...that's the whole point to getting one, from my point of view. Get one, go direct and save a shit ton of money vs trying to record your fav tube amps. Done.
Live, in the room or with a band is where they fall short IMO. Through a PA FOH they are great. But most here need some tone in front of us, in the room, with a drummer etc. Tube amps still feel better too.
I'd get one in the future but I wouldn't sell any tube amp to get it. Add one to my collection, sure.
dcburn
Well-known member
A couple years ago I saw Metallica in Buffalo and witnessed that they had traded in their amps for these little birds or insects that light up and fly around the stage.
Pure genius!
Pure genius!
alund
Well-known member
Having said this.... If I use my fractal alone with smaller speaker etc (practice/noodling) its fine... When I blend the fractal/poweramp with a tube amp ie. (tube head->cab + fractal/PS100->cabinet) it sounds great blended... The fractal/PS100 vs Head/cabinet----- there is something missing. 5 years ago I would not have noticed. The more I listen to these devices over time, the more apparent this becomes. I think for live shows they are fine but if you constantly look for the missing ingredient, which is why I assume we are all here, I believe it lies in the power tube.
JR-OZ
Active member
Hey my 2 cents. I have somewhere between 40-50 amps. We recently did a shoot out I also own an axe fx3 my 2 or ultra whatever they call it and a kemper. It’s a total useful tool, the fx are amazing, silent recording etc etc. there was no comparison for me amps still all won. However the sound has gotten a lot better I even setup a live fly rig with the axe. I had to utilize amp blends different to what I would consider normal in the analog world. But when using a different head space I got a nice clear tone.
I would never sell my favorite amp for it ever lol
But it has its uses. To each is own but try before you buy and try at different levels and uses as you would in real life circumstances.
I would never sell my favorite amp for it ever lol
But it has its uses. To each is own but try before you buy and try at different levels and uses as you would in real life circumstances.
glassjaw7
Well-known member
Sorry to hear it. I recently went through a divorce. I almost unloaded a bunch of gear but ended up keeping almost everything and I'm glad I did. I don't play in a band right now, so I feel like I have a lot of stuff that I don't necessarily need. I'd rather sell it off after the fact because I'm truly ready to part with it rather than to scramble and try to pay off lawyer fees, etc.
That said, I also have a simple, partially digital setup - POD Go into a Fryette PS-2 into a cab.
And honestly, this gets most of my play time because it's so convenient and it sounds really good. My pedalboard and amps are a step above in terms of tone and the overall experience (usually) but it also comes with the usual headaches - lots of cabling, the noise and occasional "off" day with tubes and tone inconsistencies... I know I'm using the Fryette for a tube power section but one thing I've noticed is that with a digital front end, whether it's the POD or the Fractal I was using for a brief time, it sounds exactly how I expect it to every single time I play.
As for the Mark IV, try to hang onto it if you can. I traded mine for a Tremoverb and regretted it for a long time until just recently. Finally figured it out and I love it now. Just a different beast.
That said, I also have a simple, partially digital setup - POD Go into a Fryette PS-2 into a cab.
And honestly, this gets most of my play time because it's so convenient and it sounds really good. My pedalboard and amps are a step above in terms of tone and the overall experience (usually) but it also comes with the usual headaches - lots of cabling, the noise and occasional "off" day with tubes and tone inconsistencies... I know I'm using the Fryette for a tube power section but one thing I've noticed is that with a digital front end, whether it's the POD or the Fractal I was using for a brief time, it sounds exactly how I expect it to every single time I play.
As for the Mark IV, try to hang onto it if you can. I traded mine for a Tremoverb and regretted it for a long time until just recently. Finally figured it out and I love it now. Just a different beast.
dcburn
Well-known member
Is it just the Pod that can do this, or is it any of those fx like Axe or Kemper?
Sorry, I really am pretty ignorant to this, but I use a PS2 at home.
Seems pretty interesting...
katsumura78
Member
Don’t sell the IV. I made that mistake once, found another one and also grabbed an FM3 recently. Fractal is the way to go imo. The effects are phenomenal so even if the amp modeling doesn’t do it for you running 4CM with your IV would be worth the effort.
V
VESmedic
Well-known member
This is the best compromise I’ve heard yet. Get an fm3 or fm9 for silent recording/playing, and then 4cm when you wanna use your real amp. Sounds solid.
glassjaw7
Well-known member
I'm pretty sure they can all do this. I just set up a sound with only the preamp section of the desired amp model into the PS-2 and make sure the cab/IR is off. Sounds phenomenal.
Little B
Well-known member
Just throwing this out for you,it may not work at all,
Before ditching the tubes,consider that there's some awesome sounding lunch box amps,many with cab simulations, or grab an an attenuator,etc.Many ways to get the big amps into quiet levels these days..A tidbit of info that's really served me well these days to remember is: while modelers get better,so do the tube amp companies,with new models,smaller heads,cabs,etc,it's really a win win all around.
Before ditching the tubes,consider that there's some awesome sounding lunch box amps,many with cab simulations, or grab an an attenuator,etc.Many ways to get the big amps into quiet levels these days..A tidbit of info that's really served me well these days to remember is: while modelers get better,so do the tube amp companies,with new models,smaller heads,cabs,etc,it's really a win win all around.